Longmeadow to decide fate of recreational marijuana sales at tonight's Town Meeting

LONGMEADOW - At its Special Town Meeting Tuesday night, Longmeadow may join more than 100 communities across the Commonwealth in banning or limiting the sale of recreational marijuana within its borders.

The 19-article Town Meeting Warrant, upon which Longmeadow residents will vote tonight beginning at 7 p.m. at Longmeadow High School, includes one that would prohibit a wide range of businesses that grow or sell marijuana. Articles 14 and 15 deal with the proposed marijuana ban.

"(A)ll marijuana cultivators, marijuana testing facilities, marijuana product manufacturers, marijuana retailers, on-site consumption at a business location, any other types of licensed marijuana-related businesses, and the conducting of any such activity for commercial purposes by whichever name used, shall be prohibited within the Town of Longmeadow," Article 14, a proposed zoning bylaw, reads.

Medical marijuana facilities would not be included in the ban, the article reads.

A year ago, on Nov. 8, Massachusetts voters passed Question 4, which legalized possession, use, distribution and cultivation of marijuana in the state.

In July, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a compromise bill into law, which allows public officials in cities or towns who voted against Question 4 to opt out of the legalization of sales. It also allows cities and towns in which the majority of voters favored legalization to hold referendum votes to ban marijuana sales within the municipality.

Longmeadow voters last November voted against Question 4 by 850 ballots (4,294 votes in favor of legalization, and 5,144 against), according to election results published by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's office.

Other surrounding communities have already placed bans or moratoriums on recreational marijuana establishments, which could open as soon as August 2018.

In Wilbraham, where voters last November rejected legalization by just over 1,100 votes, a pair of votes at Town Meeting in May prohibited all commercial enterprise involving the production or sale of pot that is not medical marijuana.

A ballot question on East Longmeadow's June town election ballot banning recreational marijuana facilities from opening in town passed by a landslide with 1,468 for it and 440 against. East Longmeadow voted against legalization last November by a margin of 710 votes.

West Springfield, which voted against legalization by a margin of nearly 4 percent, in February approved a moratorium on marijuana facilities until Dec. 31, 2018.

Also on Longmeadow's Special Town Meeting Warrant are three proposals to amend zoning bylaws on details including lot sizes and signage.